New restrictions begin in Italy, Belgium and France as the death toll in Europe reaches 250,000

SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, including Italy and Belgium, have introduced new measures starting today to combat a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

It occurs when the number of people who have died as a result of the virus exceeded 250,000 in Europe, as the pandemic spreads across the continent.

Many governments seek to avoid large-scale lockdowns like first wave taxes as they struggle to keep their economies running.

In Belgium, where hospitalizations doubled in the last week, bars and restaurants were closed on Monday for a month and the curfew is expected to tighten overnight.

The second major county closure comes after Prime Minister Alexander de Croo warned that the situation was “much worse” than in March, when there was a near complete lockdown.

In Italy, which was the initial epicenter of Europe’s outbreak in spring, new restrictions were also announced, including previous closures of bars and restaurants and a push to increase work from home.

“We cannot waste time,” said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who also pointed to bans on amateur team sports and local festivals.

The restrictions announced by Conte on Sunday were halted ahead of a curfew like taxes in Paris and other major French cities.

But Italian mayors can close public squares and other meeting places after 9 pm, allowing access only to reach homes or businesses.

Restaurants and bars are restricted to table service only after 6pm, three hours earlier than allowed by the above measures, but may maintain the current midnight closing time.

Local festivals have been banned, while gyms and public swimming pools can stay open, but could close in a week if they don’t better comply with the restrictions.

New confirmed infections in Italy have doubled in a week to more than 10,000 a day amid increased testing.

In Poland, where around half of the country is now designated as a coronavirus “red zone”, the government said the national stadium would also function as a field hospital to help ease tension on overwhelmed healthcare facilities.

Meanwhile, Switzerland has made wearing masks mandatory in indoor public spaces and has put limits on public gatherings after infections doubled in the past week.

“The second wave is here, earlier and stronger than we expected, but we are prepared,” said Health Minister Alain Berset.

And France imposed its own overnight curfew from the weekend in nine cities, including Paris, which affected 20 million people, with a record 32,400 new infections reported on Saturday.

© AFP 2020 with a Press Association report.